The huge 3,700 home garden village on the edge of Grantham has been approved - despite a string of concerns.

Spitalgate Heath is one of 14 government-backed urban development areas planned across the country and has been years in the making.

The 224 hectare village, which was already earmarked for new housing, will also include 110,000 square metres of employment space, creating up to 3,000 new jobs, a primary and secondary school, a health centre, sports facilities and shops.

A new riverside park, outdoor sports and play areas, community orchard and allotments will be connected by footpaths, cycleways and landscaped corridors.

The project is set to change the face of Grantham forever and a number of residents and authorities have raised concerns about the project prior to approval.

Many residents and official organisations say that the 224-hectare development is possibly too big.

Concerns raised

One major worry is over the impact on the landscape raised by the landscape officer, who compiled photo montages to show how much farmland would be lost for the development.

Highways officers also raised concerns about a huge rise in traffic, which they said could result in noise and loss of air quality - and they urged that major roadworks be completed before building work starts.

Parish councillors also raised concerns about impact on roads, sewage, the height of the new buildings, and infrastructure not being built quickly enough to cope with thousands of new residents.

The NHS stated than an extra £1.6m would need to be spent to pay for a new GP centre to serve new residents within the development or elsewhere in town.

RAF bases nearby also raised concerns about risk of bird strikes if the lakes surrounding the garden village become attractive to flocking birds.

And Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue objected on the ground of access, water supplies and demanded the developer give a commitment to pay for new hydrants.

Members of the public also raised fears over parking in town.

Fears were raised that Grantham could become urban-looking and lose trees.

Concerns were also raised about:

- a lack of amenities

- the size of the development

- pollution,

- noise

- floods

- loss of farmland

- and ‘privacy’ strips between the new homes and old becoming magnets for anti-social behaviour.

Spitalgate Heath has been recommended for approval by South Kesteven District councillors. (Image: Lincolnshire Echo)

Despite these concerns South Kesteven District council passed the outline plans, although councillors reiterated the need for community centre and local shop included earlier than planned.

Councillor Robert Reid said: “As a community starts there, it needs to be able to live and do its own checks and balances.

“By doing it from the beginning it will grow and it will grow with community strength and spirit.”

Councillor Judy Smith said: “If we’re going to do it, then do it right from the beginning.

“It could be seven years down the line, by which the you would want to have created some sort of community.”

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Councillor Michael King called on applicant Buckminster to be bolder in bringing community facilities forward in an attempt to encourage residents to move in.

However, he acknowledged: “Huge progress has been made on this project since 2017.

“It hasn’t been easy but there’s been a real improvement in aligning that 10 per cent affordable housing deal”.

Councillors were also told an application for the government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund could also see the number of affordable houses increased.

How soon will community facilities have to be built?

South Kesteven District council had warned that no more than 500 homes should be built before work must begin on a community centre and shop, while they said no more than 1,000 homes should be built until these amenities are complete.

The developer says they have been 'squeezed' for concessions on the plans.

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Mr Lee said: "On other sites, convenience stores and community centres have been brought forward but the difference here is that it’s a large area – the 'local centre' within which the shopping centre will sit is out in the middle of a very large development.

“The first phase of housing will likely be built out from the road.

“So these facilities will be some distance away and there is an issue about practicality of delivering those facilities in places which are convenient to the first residents.”

He admitted the conditions could not now be challenged, but said the developers would be looking closely at the wording of planning conditions.

Mr Lee said: “There may be a way of delivering those facilities which are fundamentally aimed at enhancing and enabling community interaction in a way that can satisfy residents."

Mr Lee said a further amendment which would put the plans under further scrutiny from three cabinet members were “understandable” given the “unusually long” period of the development – 25 to 30 years.

Spitalgate Heath has been recommended for approval by South Kesteven District councillors. (Image: Lincolnshire Echo)

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The developers of the garden village must now wait for the signing off of agreed conditions, which could take up to six months, and the third phase of the Grantham Southern Relief Road to be built, before they can begin in earnest.

However, Mr Lee said there may be a “soft-start” as they can build 250 homes before the relief road is completed.